Deliver Me -- Chapter Five

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Kevin knocked at the door before him, not particularly proud that he was here, but hoping that Livvie would be inside. The look in her eyes before she'd run away, she was devastated. He frowned as he waited for an answer. He'd make Chris pay for what he'd done to her.

She shook her head, "No," Lucy watched him for a moment, "Doc, what's wrong? What happened?"

"She's gone, Lucy. Chris told her the truth and it crushed her. I knew he would hurt her. I tried to warn her, but.....she didn't listen, and now she's out there all alone and I can't find her. I have to find her, Lucy. She needs me."

"I honestly don't know. I've checked every where that I remember she liked to go. I don't know where else to look. To be honest, Lucy," He frowned, "I'm really worried about her."

"I've seen that look in my patient's eyes before Lucy," He groaned in frustration, "I've seen that look in my own eyes staring back at me. She's going to break, and I don't know if she can handle what will come with that."

"Doc, we have to find her then. We have to help her. She can't be out there all alone."

"There has to be somewhere," Lucy frowned, "Let's go out and look around. Maybe we're just not thinking clearly here. Then again, Livvie's not thinking clearly right now so maybe we're not thinking enough like she is."

"Rachel maybe? Or maybe she went to Chris again....maybe she wanted more answers."

"I don't think she would do that. You didn't see the way she looked at him, Lucy. She really trusted in him."

"As we all did. Even Rachel warned her. It's the one thing we agreed on in all of this."

Kevin nodded, "The one thing we all agreed on was that Livvie would be hurt by Chris, and unfortunately we were all right."

"Doc, we have to find her," Lucy said touching his arm, "We'll find her and we'll help her, okay?"

"I hope we can. I don't want her to go through this alone. She's had to do that enough in her life."

"Then, let's go, Doc. Let's go find your daughter," Lucy said grabbing her jacket and pushing him out the door.

Chris looked through the peep hole of the door and frowned. He unlocked the door and took a step back as he opened the door, "Maybe you didn't understand me. I said I wanted to be left alone."

"Chris, I need your help." Eve said stepping inside and sliding the strap of her purse off her shoulder, "We can't find Livvie....anywhere."

"Kevin's really worried that she may not be able to deal with this right now. We've looked everywhere for her and Rachel has tried calling her. We can't find her."

"Everywhere," Eve said sadly, "We've looked everywhere that Kevin said she might go."

Chris thought about it for a moment, "She might have gone up to Lookout Pointe."

"Because...." He gave a bit of a shrug, "Because that's where I kissed her for the first time. She said she felt safe with me. Livvie has a way of thinking about things until they haunt her. She may have gone there to think about what I've done."

Eve frowned, "Why do you have to be such a weasel? Just when I think you have some admirable qualities, you make me change my mind."

"I'm going to find Livvie. Are you coming?" He asked as she nipped closely at his heels.

"I don't need any help with Livvie. In case you haven't noticed, that was the problem when other people got in the way," He explained as they made their way down to the car.

"You didn't really think that you could just live happily ever after with her, did you? Chris, you couldn't have made things work even if you'd been honest with her from the beginning."

"And just why not, Eve? Because I'm not meant to have any luck with the women I care about? Is that it?"

"No, that's not it," She explained as they drove out of town, "Chris, she's too young for you. She's Kevin's daughter. Isn't that complicated enough? But then you used her, and she's not going to forget that."

"I didn't mean to hurt her," He frowned as he looked out at the road before them, "In the beginning, it didn't matter to me at all one way or the other. She was just an instrument of Rachel's destruction. But then....she trusted me and she cared about me. She knew me better in just a few months and any one else in this town...present company excluded. She just found a way to get to me. I never expected that, but by the time I realized what she meant to me, it was too late. I'd already moved into a position to cinch up my plans. I didn't want to hurt her,
Eve," He paused watching the night before him, "Did you see the look in her eyes, Eve? Did you see the way she looked at me? I broke her heart when all I wanted to do was protect her from me."

Eve watched Chris as he spoke and drove. She heard sincerity in his voice, and that surprised her more than his feelings. She'd always known that deep down inside Chris had a heart. She just never expected him to give his heart to Livvie Locke. She frowned and sighed, "You really do love her, don't you?"

Chris remained silent for a moment as he parked the car and glanced around for any sign of her. As they got out of the car, he shook his head, "I can't. You've explained all the reasons why I can't."

"Those are reasons why it wouldn't work. I never said you couldn't feel the way you feel, Chris," Eve explained as they looked around, "You really brought her here?"

He nodded, "She's not here now though. That scares me, Eve. Where would she go?" He stopped and looked around trying to remember anything about what Livvie had told him. He thought for a moment more before he tapped on the hood of his car, "I think I know where she could be."

"Just get in. I'll explain on the drive," Chris said getting into the car as he worried about Livvie.

Livvie stared into the darkness. The flickering lights danced before her. It all seemed so easy. Hadn't this been her destiny from day one? Hadn't this very thing been calling out to her for her entire life? She took a deep breath as she stared out at the water.

She felt the tears slip down her cheeks and felt so lost. Why had he used her this way? She had trusted Chris, really trusted him. He'd been her safety net, her rock, and she'd placed so much faith in him. She'd cared about him, more than anyone she'd ever met before. She'd been amazed at how much she'd felt for him and it had scared her. Now she knew that she'd had every right to be afraid.

She stepped out, closer to the edge of the dock and stared at the wavy water. It was calling to her, begging her to finish it....to make her dreams come to life. She dropped her purse on the wood with a thud as she thought about it all. Soon it would all be over. She'd be gone and everyone in Port Charles could rest easier. But most of all, it would be over for her. The pain would end, the confusion would end, and the questions would end. All of it would come to an
end. She took one last deep breath as she made her final decision.

Chris jumped out of his car as Eve finished telling Kevin where to meet them before hanging up her phone quickly and shoving it into her jacket pocket. She followed after Chris as he raced out onto the docks with him.

Chris spotted Livvie as she pushed herself from the docks and began her fall into the water. His heart leapt into his throat as his fears came to pass, "Livvie!" He screamed after her, racing down the wood planks as he watched her plunge into the icy water. Chris peeled off his jacket along the way, tossing it aside before diving into the water after her.

Eve stood by helplessly watching Chris near Livvie in the water. She dug her phone out of her pocket and dialed 911.

Livvie slipped under the icy dark water freezing her nose and throat as they filled. As she fought to the surface and gasped for air, the stinging in her head was worse, the burning in her chest intensified and her fear was renewed. She began fighting against the water but it was too late. The water had tightened its grip and she was fighting a losing battle. She struggled to keep to the top of the water, desperate to take her next breath and yet the water pulled her down again, vowing never to let her go.

Chris could feel the freezing water weigh on his limbs as he neared her. He was soon close to her, reaching out to keep her above the water. She struggled again before going under. Chris took a deep breath then dove under the water, searching for her in the darkness. He felt her form near him and he took hold of her, kicking hard to the surface and bringing her above the water with him. He held her limp form against him as he gasped for air. He felt his own dizziness as he pulled her with him in the water, finding each stroke more difficult to take than the last.

"Call an ambulance," Chris managed to call out, "She's unconscious. I don't think she's breathing," He said at the edge of the docks, "Help pull her up," He said seeing Eve near them as he helped awkwardly lift Livvie's cold limp form out of the water. As soon as she was out of the water, Chris took a breath and hoisted himself out of the water.

Eve was already proceeding with an exam and preparing for CPR as Chris moved beside her and listened for breathing. Eve watched him for a minute, "Chris let me do this. You're in no condition."

"I'm fine," He said before initiating respirations. He gave her two breaths and watched her chest before giving her two more breaths. As he watched her motionless chest, he prayed lightly, "Please god don't do this. Don't take her away," He spoke before giving her two more breaths and waiting. Chris glanced to Eve who shook her head before he administered two more breaths and paused, "Livvie, please...breathe for me. Please," He repeated the procedure once more before she coughed and Chris helped her to her side to expel the water from her lungs.

Eve checked Livvie's pulse as Chris held her in his arms and watched as Livvie blinked her eyes and looked up at him. She coughed again before trying to speak.

"Shhh, don't talk. Just take it easy here," He said moving his hand over her cheek, feeling the icy cold of her skin.

"Why? Why didn't you let me die?" She asked blinking her eyes weakly, "Why didn't you just let me go?"

"I can't do that, Livvie. It's not that simple for me. I care about you and I don't like letting go of people I care about," He said holding onto her as Frank and Emilio rushed out along the docks towards them.

"I thought you didn't care. You couldn't," Livvie coughed again as she took in a breath and winced in pain.

"I do care, Livvie, more than you can possibly know," Chris explained before helping to place Livvie on the gurney. Frank and Emilio wrapped Livvie in blankets and began preliminary exams as they moved the gurney back along the docks towards the ambulance.

Eve plucked a blanket from the gurney and draped it over Chris' shoulders, "Come on, Chris. Let's see to you."

"I'm going with her, Eve," Chris said as he started towards the ambulance with Frank.

"No, I'm going. I'm not turning my back on her again," He explained taking a stethoscope from Frank and performing his own exam as the doors to the ambulance closed.

Eve followed directly behind Chris, Frank and Emilio as they brought Livvie into the ER. Karen met them at the door and began issuing orders as they escorted Livvie into a trauma room. Chris stood by her side, issuing orders of his own as the nurses worked to cut Livvie out of her cold wet clothes and pack her in warming blankets.

"Chris, why don't you get yourself checked out here?" Karen asked as she listened to Livvie's lungs once more.

"Chris," Karen said his name firmly, "At least go change into some dry scrubs. You're not going to do anyone any good if you keel over her from hypothermia."

"No, go change. Eve," Karen called in a favor as Eve led a very reluctant Chris from the room.

Kevin and Lucy burst into the ER just as Chris and Eve stepped out of the trauma room. Kevin rushed down the hall, "Where is she? What did you do to her?" He accused shoving Chris against a wall.

Chris didn't bother to meet Kevin's eyes as he allowed Kevin to vent his frustration on him temporarily. Eve reached out to Kevin's arm as she stood beside them both, "He saved her, Kevin."

"What?" Kevin asked then forced Chris into the wall again, "More of your games Ramsey?"

"Kevin, she would have drowned had it not been for Chris." Eve explained, "He went into the water after her."

"Drowned?" Kevin spun on his heel towards the trauma room, releasing Chris abruptly.

Chris stumbled to regain his balance as he was more exhausted than he'd previously believed, "She's going to be fine. She's hypothermic and hypoxic, but she's on warm saline. O2 by mask, and she's being warmed with heated blankets. She'll need rest, but she'll be fine."

Kevin pushed open the doors to the trauma room and stepped closer to Livvie's bedside. He looked to Karen who explained the exact diagnosis that Chris had just delivered to him. Kevin took Livvie's hand and touched her fore head as he watched her sleep, "You scared us all. I can't lose you now that we know the truth, Livvie. I want to be your father much too much to let this all slip away from us."

Lucy watched Kevin from the doors and smiled as her suspicions about the universe had again been confirmed.

Chris sat on the edge of the gurney and grumbled again, "Come on. Is this really necessary?"

"Yes it is really necessary, Mr. Chief Resident." Eve said placing her stethoscope around her neck again.

"Yeah, I saw how fine you were when you almost puddled into the floor out there."

"Well, having an irate father pound you into a wall takes a lot out of you," He shrugged, "I'm really fine."

"I'll be the judge of that one," Eve said firmly as she shoved a thermometer into his mouth as he started to speak, "Hush."

"I thought you might like to know how she's doing." Karen offered. Chris watched her expectantly as Eve looked back at Karen as well. Karen smiled, "She's stable. We took her off the mask, but we still have her on oxygen. Her temperature is back up to 96 and she's looking much better. She's still sleeping and we're moving her upstairs soon. I just thought you'd like to know."

Relief washed over his features as he closed his eyes and nodded. Eve gave Karen a smile and thanked her before she took the thermometer from Chris and smiled, "Well, Doctor, you're going to be just fine."

"Thank you for old news," He said with a roll of the eyes as he eased himself from the gurney.

"Where do you think you're going?" Eve asked as she placed her hand on his chest and pushed him back into the gurney.

"Oh yes, you really are," Eve said with a less than polite smile as she crossed her arms, "You have some things to take care of here."

"Yes, and that's why I want to go home so I can rest. Do you really think that the chief resident can stay here and get any rest?" He asked with a doubtful look, "I don't think so."

"This isn't about you, you big egomaniac." When he raised a confused eyebrow at her, she explained, "I'm trying to give you the chance to go see Livvie without Kevin hitting the roof. I know that you want to check in on her."

"You're right. I don't have to, but you're my friend Chris. I saw the way you looked at her when you pulled her out of the water. This is something you need to do."

"Look, if you don't want to do this for you, do it for her. She needs to know that you care about her."

"You never know unless you try," Eve said giving him a light smile, "So try this once, Chris."

"You're full of bad ideas. Why not try one that is a little just outside the realm of good ideas?" She suggested as she crossed her arms.

He took a deep breath and nodded, "Okay, but I'm going to take you down with me when Kevin explodes."

Eve nodded, "I'll deal with Kevin, okay?" She said with a smile, "So why don't you lie back and we'll get you moved upstairs in just a bit as well."

Chris nodded as he settled back on the gurney and pulled the blanket tighter around him, feeling a bit cooler as time passed by.